Mysterious Eva
by Western-Otaku
Summary: AU from Episode 10. Shinji risks his life to save Asuka from the Volcano, however he severely damages Unit 01 in the process. Repairs to Unit 01 are estimated to take almost a year to finish, and in the meantime, the Angels will still be coming. Luckily for Shinji though, NERV just so happens to have a top-secret backup Eva for him to use... but there is something weird about it...
1. Eva Specification

**Author Notes:** _Hey guys, how you doing?_

_I know I'm actually supposed to be working on my current fanfic: _**Here we go again! **_But while doing what it is I do everyday, sleep, an idea came to me which I find pretty awesome... well, pretty awesome that I personally came up with it in the middle of dreaming... I can't think of anything original usually, so this is an accomplishment for me!_

_Anyway, my idea was to give Shinji a new Eva! He's pretty much stuck with Eva Unit 01, which I like! I think Unit 01 is pretty badass, but I just had the urge to give Shinji a new Eva and so I started doing what Fanfic writers do and screw with canon to make my fanfic more believable._

_So yeah, Shinji gets a new Eva, and this chapter is basically a prologue, giving the specs of _**Eva Unit 17 **_which I made up on the spot. I'll likely break the 4th wall in the description of the Eva as I can't really describe things in detail properly for my life._

_I hope you like my made-up Eva, I can't provide a drawing or anything as I can't draw in real life, nor can I create anything resembling a drawing on the computer._

_I've taken some ideas for the Eva from a semi-official Eva AU known as _**Neon Genesis EVANGELION (3 Years After) -ANIMA- **_which I literally just learned the existence of... pretty bad for an Evangelion fan. I admit, it's got some interesting new Eva tech and stuff in there so I couldn't help but take a few ideas... I know it sounds like plagiarism but that's why I'm crediting it here: _**You may find some content found in Evangelion -ANIMA-**_, be warned if you don't like it._

_Well, lets get to it then._

**Disclaimer: **_I do not own Evangelion, nor anything relating to it. But I so wish I did!_

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><p><strong>Evangelion Unit 17<strong>

Background Info:

The concept and design was created and approved by NERV-UK (**A/N: **I used the UK as it came to mind as I live here, it wasn't talked about at all in the Original series so the UK isn't really relevant to SEELE's plans so the UK could get away with going behind SEELE's back, and I didn't want to use Japan, Germany or America as they've already made Evas in the series, but the UK was the next powerful country that would have a NERV branch that I could think of first... please don't hate!) and development began there not soon after. Development was kept in secret from SEELE for obscure reasons. The main belief was because SEELE had begun the production of the Mass Produced Evas already at this time, and so the last attempt to create a regular production model Eva would be rejected if it was revealed. Another belief is that the secret Eva was intended for testing of new technology to do with the Evas. The Eva Unit was unofficially designated Eva Unit 17 in reference to the production of the Mass Produced Evas that had started before Unit 17, but the name soon stuck and the name Unit 17 was used hence forth. Gendo Ikari soon received leaked information from his sources about the secret Eva in production, however he offered to provide additional funding in order to accelerate the production of Unit 17, upon the sole condition that Unit 17 would be transported over to NERV-Central if they ever requested it. NERV-UK reluctantly agreed due to their very limited budget. Production of Eva Unit 17 was completed not long before the appearance of the 3rd Angel Sachiel.

Specifications:

Colours:

Main – White (Armour Plating)  
>Secondary – Black (Secondary Armour Plating &amp; Evangelion Skin)<br>Tertiary – Glowing Neon Blue (Highlights & Visor colour)

Appearance:

Eva Unit 17 notably has increased Armour plating in comparison to the other Evas, it's chest plate is of the same type as Eva Unit 01 and not like any of the other production models. Eva Unit 17's armour closely resembles Unit 01's Stage 2 specification B-type equipment concept (**A/N: **Go look it up! It's easier to describe, sorry.) however the Head armour is different and the colour scheme is replaced (White replaces Purple and lilac, Dark navy Blue is replaced by Black, Green is replaced by glowing Neon Blue – which is black when off, Orange is replaced by Black and the shoulder patch says Eva 17). Unlike any Eva model previous to it, Unit 17 dons a Visor in the shape of Kamina's iconic glasses from Gurren Lagann (**A/N: **Points to anyone who can figure out where I took this idea as a Mecha design from, hint: its a well known Evangelion copy Movie), which remains black when the Unit is powered down, but glows Neon Blue when the Eva is activated; this effect when activated and when powered down also applies to all of the highlights present on the Unit's armour. The helmet armour completely covers the Eva's mouth, much like Eva Unit 02 (**A/N: **In the original series anyway...) but with a shorter chin. Another unusual aspect of the head armour is that it has a pointed forehead, much like the head of a typical Shark, above the Visor. The elongated forehead extends forward at approximately the same length as the iconic horn of Unit 01.

Operational Capabilities:

Battery Capacity – 5 Minutes (Plus with an extra 2, 1 minute capacity backup power supplies located in each of the rear sides of the Shoulder Pylons – increasing potential battery capacity to 7 minutes when fully charged)

Speed – Mach 1.3

Eva Display – Full 180 degree vision

Weapon Arsenal – 2 extended progressive knives, 2 progressive blades concealed in each foot of the Eva (able to extend out of the toes or out of the heels for when kicking), Knee cap armour is also pointed and outfitted with the same technology as the progressive blades for when kneeing, Hand armour is reinforced for punching, frontal Head armour is heavily reinforced for head-butting and is pointed for piercing.

Other – Possesses the standard suite of advanced and adaptive targeting systems, radar and sonar sensors, standard radio and advanced video comm capabilities, manual and automatic activation sequences, capable of switching interface to any worldwide language, boasts advanced sync capabilities with pilot(s), capable of being outfitted with any Eva weaponry, customizable for operations and is outfitted with a new wireframe vision mode allowing the pilot to have better visibility when manoeuvring in low natural visibility in environments such as in the city, an advanced computer AI assist system is present within the extended head armour of the Eva to be on hand to assist the pilot in a wide range of tasks, however the AI is heavily restricted from going rogue as precautions have been put in place for the pilot's control to always override the AI's control if need be and life support systems are directly controlled by the pilot in the entry plug. The AI is always shut down entirely when the entry plug is not in place inside the Eva.

Unique Capabilities:

The Unit is outfitted with an experimental prototype of a mini Vortex system with units concealed in each of the thighs and in the mid-lower back armour. Units have been tested beforehand and are able to lift trucks off the ground, provided they are supplied with enough energy – the more energy supplied, the higher they are able to lift an object. It is proven that the Eva internal power supply as well as the umbilical cords are both capable of providing sufficient energy to extend jump height significantly and maintain enough battery capacity for a full Angel sortie. However suspended flight would drain the Unit's internal battery within a minute. The Vortex Units are only capable of being outfitted to Eva's if the Eva is designed to supply it's internal power supply to the units, meaning current Unit models are unable to be outfitted with the Vortex technology.

Other:

Designated Pilot – N/A

Soul – **[BLANK]**

**End of Report**

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><p><strong>Author Notes: <strong>_And there you have it, a nice basic spec list of Unit 17 which I made up. I quite enjoyed that, I like writing spec lists for things... I don't really know why though. I borrowed details from other places so I admit it isn't completely original, heh... _**:L**

_This will be the prologue, next will be where I get straight into the story. This should be fun._

_I will also try to work on _**Here we go again! **a_t the same time as this fic, so don't worry guys _**^_^**

_Remember to leave Reviews! Until next time!_

_- Western-Otaku_


	2. The 8th Angel & the New Units

**Author Notes:** Alrighty then, here goes Chapter 1 of Mysterious Eva.

_Keeping this short, I may have changed the Volcano battle a little, but nothing major... well apart from the obvious point of this story._

_Anyway, lets go!_

**Disclaimer: **_I do not own Evangelion, nor anything relating to it. But I so wish I did!_

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><p>As Asuka repelled down into the fiery depths of the Volcano, Shinji was nice and safe up top on the surface, but he was extremely worried. Shinji might not appreciate the endless torment he suffers at the hands of his red-headed room-mate, but he still cares for those who are close to him, as friends do; although Shinji wasn't sure if Asuka considered him one of her friends, he still considered her one of his... just a friend who has a very odd way of showing friendship...<p>

Shinji mentally bit his nails as he monitored the comms to be kept updated about Asuka's welfare, because he couldn't actually bite his nails with the plugsuit in the way.

Soon, after what felt like hours, Asuka finally reached the Angel and proceeded to capture it with no problems. Shinji sighed with relief and smiled as Asuka was pulled back up to the surface.

"Asuka, are you all right?" He asked her.

"Well of course I am, the only thing we have to fear is fear itself. This was easy!" Asuka stated casually.

"Man... this isn't a plugsuit, it's a sauna bath! Aww, I just wanna take a cold shower." Asuka whined.

_'Typical Asuka... she would call me a baka for being so worried for her... but then she always calls me baka anyway. Oh well, I'm glad nothing bad happened' _Shinji thought.

That was when the Angel started morphing into it's adult form.

"It's going crazy!" Asuka shouted.

_'Oops, I think I jinxed it' _Shinji reprimanded himself.

He was even more on edge as he heard the events of the battle beginning to take place not far beneath his feet. He desperately wanted to help, and to make sure Asuka got back out alive, but he couldn't do anything without any D-type equipment on his Eva.

_'What's the point in back-up if I can't actually back Asuka up?!' _Shinji mentally screamed.

"Scheisse, I forgot I lost the Knife!" Asuka shouted.

Shinji didn't even need to think about it as he unsheathed Unit 01's progressive knife and dropped it straight into the Volcano.

"Asuka, Unit 01 has dropped it's Knife for you, prepare to receive!" Misato informed her.

"Roger! Have you dropped it yet Shinji?" she asked as she cautiously watched out for the Angel.

"It's on it's way!" Shinji responded.

"40 metres to Knife's arrival" someone said from the temporary command point.

"Angel rapidly approaching!" Makoto said.

Asuka saw the Angel coming straight at her.

"No! Go away!" Asuka screamed. "Ah, hurry up with that thing!" she commanded gravity.

Finally, the Knife reached Asuka just as the Angel was about to ram into Unit 02. Immediately, Asuka activated the Knife and plunged it straight into the Angel, holding it at bay.

"What the hell?!" The progressive Knife wasn't penetrating the Angel's body at all.

The Angel lurched forward and latched directly onto the head of Unit 02, with only the D-type suit in it's way.

"Oh my god! How can it open it's mouth in molten lava?!" Ritsuko demanded the air.

"What is that thing built out of?" Maya asked nobody in particular.

Asuka was having no luck with the Knife as the Angel slowly ripped the D-type suit apart.

"Die damn you!"

"The extreme heat has made the Angel strengthen it's molecular structure, the Prog' Knife won't work!" Ritsuko said.

_'Damn, if the heat made it stronger... then the cold should make it weaker! That's it, damn am I thankful for Asuka's physics lesson' _Shinji realised.

"Think Physics!" He called out.

Within milliseconds, Asuka came to the same conclusion as Shinji, "Thermal Expansion!" she exclaimed.

Asuka sliced off one of her coolant tubes and shoved it straight into the Angel.

"Of course, the coolant!" Ritsuko figured out.

_'Jeez Ritsuko, you're supposed to be the genius here...' _Shinji thought.

"Transfer all the internal coolant pressure to tube number 3! Do it!" Asuka hurriedly shouted.

At once, all the coolant rushed out and rapidly cooled the Angel. It writhed about in pain as it was subjected to the effects of Thermal Expansion. Asuka cried out as she once again thrusted the Knife into the Angel. This time the Knife directly penetrated and sparks were sent flying as the Knife dug into the Angel.

As the Angel was inches from death, the Angel severed Unit 02's cables in a last attempt to bring it down with it.

As the Angel dissolved away in the heat, the coolant had run out and the extreme pressure was too much for the suit to take without any internal pressure from the coolant to offer resistance. The suit started to collapse in on itself, as Asuka realised her predicament.

"I've killed the Angel... but," Asuka said as she watched the last of her cables about to tear way.

The notion dawned on her that she was going to die, she wasn't going to see everyone again. She wouldn't get the chance to receive the glory that came with killing the Angels, she'd never get to see Kaji again, nor Hikari, Misato, Pen-pen, the stooges Toji or Kensuke, Wondergirl, or even the baka Shinji...

"... that's it... I'm done for." she relented.

As soon as Shinji heard that, he snapped.

_'Fuck it, fuck this, Asuka is about to DIE!' _Shinji mentally screamed as he dived straight into the lava of the Volcano without any protection in place.

Immediately he was assaulted with an unbearable burning sensation. He cut the comm link as he started to scream wildly. Through some miracle, he was able to focus and grab onto the cable, as he rapidly grappled towards Unit 02.

Finally, the cable snapped and Asuka was left to drift into the fiery depths to receive her fiery end.

That is until Unit 01 snatched Unit 02 up.

Asuka looked up in confusion as she stopped her descent, only to see the demonic visage of Unit 01 greet her as it's armour slowly began to melt away. She could see Unit 01 writhing in pain from the heat, but still maintaining it's grip on the cable and Unit 02 as they were pulled up.

_'How can he take that much pain? And he did it for... for me?' _Asuka realised.

_'The baka can really pull through when you need him, huh?' _she thought.

"Shinji?" she asked, but received no response.

* * *

><p>By the time Unit 01 and Unit 02 were finally pulled out of the Volcano, Unit 01's armour had completely dissolved away, along with most of the flesh of the Eva. Almost all that was left of the Eva were the remains of the arms and a chunk of the flesh that was the chest still encasing the remains of the entry plug and the Eva's exposed core. The lower half of the Eva had melted away and fallen from the top half of the Eva, and the Helmet was completely gone, leaving behind a head with part of it's face missing.<p>

The whole image looked gruesome. Some technicians were currently throwing up as others had kept mild control over their stomachs in order to get Shinji out of the entry plug. Asuka watched on from inside Unit 02 in horror, with Misato mirroring her from the command point, as they desperately tried to get Shinji out of the plug, to make sure he was alright...

"You damned baka, why did you do it?" Was all Asuka could squeak out as she resisted the overwhelming feeling to start crying for her friend who could be dead for all she knew.

* * *

><p>The first thing that the boy thought when he came to, was whether he was dead or alive. Slowly, he opened his eyes to a white, plain ceiling. He had the urge to say 'unfamiliar ceiling' but he knew that the ceiling was actually all to familiar with him.<p>

He now knew he was alive and at NERV hospital, in what he considered his 'second lovely suite'. They always put him in the same room, and he was so familiar with the room that he knew how to get from where he was all the way to the front door of the hospital with his eyes closed.

Shinji sat up a little and looked around him. He was astonished to find Misato, Asuka and Rei all sitting on either side of his bed.

_'How long have I been out for?' _He wondered.

Rei seemed to be the only one currently awake, as usual, and was reading another book that Shinji didn't really care about. He needed to speak, or do something.

"Um... Rei, how long have I been unconscious for? What happened?" Shinji asked quietly.

"As of now, you have been unconscious for a total of 22 hours, 11 minutes and 24 seconds. Despite the battle report from the Angel encounter at the Volcano and the condition of Unit 01, you have only suffered very minor burns across your face, which should fully heal in time. Your plugsuit melted in the heat, but it managed to protect the rest of your body quite well. Doctor Akagi says that it was a miracle that your burns were not worse, or that you even survived what happened. Unit 01 has been severely damaged from being exposed to molten lava; it can be repaired, but the repairs are estimated to take almost a year to finish." Rei stated in her trademark monotone voice. Shinji, however, was astonished that Rei had spoken more than she ever had before in the past months he had known her, in the last few seconds.

"Um, wow Rei. Was Unit 01 damaged that badly?" Shinji lamely asked, mainly in an attempt to breach the silence that fell between them as he recovered from his shock.

Rei nodded, "Yes, it was, everyone at NERV saw it for themselves as Unit 01 was placed in storage until NERV would be able to repair it. You were retrieved from the remains of the entry plug miraculously unharmed, but unconscious, likely from the pain you experienced when piloting the Eva in lava without protection." she responded.

It was at this time that Misato started to stir from her sleep. She sat up from leaning across onto the bed and stretched. She still hadn't noticed Shinji watching her as Misato checked the time and then looked over at Asuka and Rei. She was about to talk to Rei when she noticed her eyes focused elsewhere. She slowly turned to see Shinji with faint patches of pink on his face. She would have chuckled at the fact that it made him look like he had a constant blush on his face if she wasn't so relieved that Shinji was awake.

Immediately she lunged at Shinji and squashed him in an immense bear-hug, rousing Asuka from her sleep in the process. When she was about to ask what the fuss was all about, she stopped herself to see Misato crushing Shinji who was now awake, she noted, in one of her bear-hugs. Against what she would normally do, Asuka just lunged and joined the duo in the bear-hug, squeezing Shinji even harder.

"Um... guys... can't breathe..." Shinji squeaked quietly.

Misato and Asuka came to their senses on what they were doing and both released Shinji. He gasped and rapidly panted to apologise to his oxygen-deprived lungs. Once he had regained his breath, he noticed Misato and Asuka were both glaring daggers at him. If looks could kill, then even the Angels would have keeled over and died pathetically.

"SSSSHHHHIIIINNNNJJJJJIIIII!" They both screamed. Shinji cowered on the bed and Rei had to cover her ears to stop herself from going deaf.

"Why, in the name of Kami-sama, did you do THAT?!" Misato shrieked.

"We thought that you were dead! How could you scare us all like that?!" Asuka screamed.

"You disobeyed orders and jumped straight into the Volcano without any protection!" Misato cried.

"You didn't have to almost get yourself killed for me!" Asuka yelled.

"If I had my way, you would be discharged from NERV as a pilot, and grounded for a whole month!" Misato bellowed.

"What would we have done if you died?! Did you ever think of that?!" Asuka roared.

"Are you really that suicidal, as to risk you own life?!" Misato screeched.

"You really are a baka, you know that?!" Asuka vociferated.

(**A/N: **Okay I'm running out of synonyms, and now I'm using a thesaurus.)

Both women were left panting for air after the shout-off, while Shinji finally had a chance to get a word in.

"If I remember correctly, there were no orders not to jump into the Volcano. I'm also pretty sure that I was assigned to be the back-up on the operation, and the reason for back-up to be there is to **provide back-up** and save people's lives!" Shinji answered, showing a rare display of backbone.

All occupants of the room were left speechless and unable to respond to Shinji, until Ritsuko came into the room after hearing the shouting down the hall.

"Ah, Shinji, you're awake. I'm sorry you had to deal with these girls in here when you woke up, but they refused to leave the room when you were placed in here. I'm sure Rei took it upon herself to explain exactly what has happened and your injuries?" she asked.

"Yes, ma'am." Shinji replied.

"Okay then, in that case, I can discharge you immediately. Your clothes are on the side, retrieved from your locker, and the Commander wishes to see you." Ritsuko said as she walked back out the room.

Shinji climbed out of bed and was about to change out of the hospital gown, when he realised that the 3 women he woke up to were still in the room.

"Um... would you mind?" Shinji asked rhetorically.

All 3 women blinked and then calmly walked out of the room to allow Shinji to change. Shinji put on his regular white shirt and black slacks and then proceeded to walk calmly out of the door.

He admitted that he was extremely lucky to survive that ordeal with only very minor burns on his face, but his face still felt a little sore when he spoke or when he used any of his facial muscles.

_'Oh well, everything will be back to normal in a day or two, including the burns.' _Shinji thought.

Outside the room, he was met with both Asuka and Rei.

"Misato's been called back to work immediately, now that you're awake. Probably paperwork." Asuka said.

"Ok. I have to go see my father... so I-" before Shinji could meekly continue what he was implying, Rei cut him off.

"I am accompanying you." She stated, leaving no room for any questions.

"So am I baka!" Asuka said in the same manner as Rei.

Taken back by the unusual behaviour of his fellow pilots, he silently nodded and walked towards the Commander's office with Asuka and Rei on either side of him. It was a rare sight to see all 3 pilots walking together inside of NERV and so the trio attracted a lot of stares from the various staff. Shinji garnered the most attention after everyone in NERV saw the state of Unit 01, and yet Shinji got off with a few faint pink patches on his face.

Eventually, the trio of pilots reached the Commander's office, where they were asked to wait by one of the Section 2 guards as Gendo's secretary let the Commander and Sub-commander know that they had arrived.

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><p>Inside the office sat Gendo Ikari and Kozo Fuyutsuki. Currently, they were discussing what happened to Unit 01 and what they were going to have to do about it.<p>

"Damn that child of mine, he has unknowingly ruined our plans!" Gendo shouted as he slammed his fist down on his desk.

"Why did he have to rescue the Second Child, in Unit 01 for that matter! Unit 02 and her are both expendable, Unit 01 is not!"

"Calm down Ikari, Unit 01 is not beyond repair, it will just take time." Fuyutsuki said.

"Yes, time that we do not have! Who's to say SEELE won't make a move and try to initiate their scenario in the meantime? How are we going to stay ahead of them?" Gendo asked.

"We could always use Units 02 and 00. Or either of the Units that are on their way as we speak." Fuyutsuki replied.

Gendo seemed to calm down at this. "Yes, we still have our current Units and Units 3 and 17." Gendo said.

"May I ask why it is that you are so interested in Unit 17 in particular?"

"All will be revealed in good time..."

There was a buzz on the intercom as Gendo's secretary spoke, "Commander, all 3 pilots are here to see you."

"Hmm, only Shinji was required to come." Fuyutsuki remarked.

"Doesn't matter, it will save having to repeat ourselves. Send all 3 of them in." Gendo commanded in his typical fashion.

"Right away, Commander." There was a buzz as the intercom was switched off, followed not shortly after by the door to the office opening. The 3 pilots stepped into the large, intimidating office as the door was closed behind them, making it feel as if they were being sealed inside the room.

"You wished to see me... father?" Shinji asked as all 3 pilots came closer to Gendo's desk, where Gendo had his hands tented across his face as usual.

"Yes, you were summoned so that we can discuss your actions with Unit 01." Gendo said.

Shinji winced at this, while Asuka and Rei looked at Shinji.

"Oh... I should have guessed." Shinji said softly while turning his gaze to the floor.

"You are aware that your actions have caused a severe amount of damage to one of NERV's most valuable pieces of equipment? You are lucky that the damage to Unit 01 can be repaired, but you have put us at a disadvantage in terms of our engagement with the Angels." Gendo said.

"Of course, this will not go unpunished. As a result of your actions, we find it fit for you to spend a week here at NERV undergoing an extreme training regimen. Your combat skills will be developed and tested with extreme critique. From then onwards, it will depend upon your performance as to when the training regimen shall stop and you'll be allowed to return to your normal routine outside of NERV. The option to join Pilot Ikari in these exercises is available to the other pilots." Fuyutsuki said.

Both Asuka and Rei considered the proposal, before they announced their agreement.

_'Any extra training will only further benefit me as a pilot, and I need to keep an eye on Shinji' _Asuka thought.

_'I will see to it that Pilot Ikari remains safe' _Rei thought.

"Now, as for your future Pilot Ikari, you are to pilot Eva Unit 17 until Unit 01 can be fully repaired. As we speak, Unit 17 is being transported from NERV-UK across Europe by railway to Russia, and from there it will be carried by Sea just as with Unit 02. We have also acquired Eva Unit 03, which will be transported by air and piloted by the Fourth Child." Gendo announced.

All 3 pilots were taken aback as the news of two new Eva Units (one of them to be piloted by Shinji) as well as a new pilot, sunk in. Asuka was the first to react.

"Commander, who is the Fourth Child?" she asked.

"That will remain undisclosed. The Fourth Child has been chosen, but we have yet to notify them and have them accept the position. If they do confirm, the Fourth Child as well as Pilot Ikari will both be taken to the Matsushiro Testing Facility, where they will undergo the activation tests for both new Units, upon their arrival in Japan. Pilot Ikari will be sent the Specification Report of Unit 17 soon." Gendo replied.

"That is all, the training regimen begins in 3 days on Sunday at 6:00 am, be here at NERV by then." Fuyutsuki finished.

And with that the 3 pilots left the unhumble abode that was the Commander's office.

* * *

><p>Asuka and Shinji were walking home together at Sunset after dropping Rei off at her apartment. An awkward silence had fallen across the duo as they neared their apartment.<p>

"Um... Shinji, I have something to say..." Asuka said as she stopped walking, with her head down so that her bangs covered her eyes, concealing her expression.

Shinji stopped and turned to listen to what Asuka had to say.

"I...I just wanted to say... Thank you for saving my Life." Asuka spoke as Shinji struggled to hear Asuka's words.

"Oh... it's okay... after all, it was my job as back-up, right? You did your job and killed the Angel, and I did my job and made sure you made it back alive." Shinji said as he offered Asuka a smile.

Asuka looked up and saw Shinji's smile, and she couldn't help but smile as well.

"Baka, you don't need to act so tough, just because you saved my life." Asuka said as she put on a mock-scowl, returning to her usual self.

Shinji let out a sigh, "Doesn't suit me, huh?"

"Nope, now c'mon, I'm hungry!" Asuka said as she started walking to their apartment again.

"What do you want for dinner, Asuka?" Shinji asked.

"How about we order out? It'll save you cooking." she suggested.

_'Well, I'll be damned, she's acting a little nicer to me' _Shinji noticed

_'I suppose I should give the baka a break, not everyone is able to jump in a Volcano to save someone else's life at the risk of their own, like he did. He's also got a bit more of a backbone than I thought he did, so I can lay off a little' _Asuka thought.

"Sure, that sounds great." Shinji said.

* * *

><p>Later that night, Shinji lay in bed with his bedside lamp on, listening to his S-DAT player and reading the file he found waiting for him when he got back after picking up a Pizza for him and Asuka.<p>

Apparently Asuka had already read it and was quite impressed with the newest production model.

**(Flashback)**

"Asuka, I'm back! I've got the Pizzas!" Shinji called out.

"Welcome back, Section 2 dropped off this file for you, it's got everything you're allowed to know about Unit 17." she said casually as she finished reading the file at the kitchen table.

As Shinji placed the Pizza boxes on the table, Asuka closed the file and handed it to Shinji.

"I admit, my Eva Unit 02 was the first production model, and it has withstood the test of time and is more than a match for the Angels," she said proudly, "but you've got a handicap now with the newest model; it's outfitted with more recent technology to try and boost the pilot. I'm sure that now even you could match me with the new Unit." she said casually, but without any malice.

_'Well, Asuka's still being nice, in her own way...'_ Shinji thought.

"Thanks Asuka, I'll read it after we eat." Shinji said as he put the file aside and grabbed his Pizza and went to watch the TV in the Living Room, with Asuka following and doing the same.

**(End of Flashback)**

As Shinji read, he agreed with Asuka's opinion on the Eva.

"Potential Battery Capacity... 7 minutes... Speed, Mach 1.3 – that's slightly faster than Unit 02... 180 degree vision... 2 progressive Knives... 2 progressive blades concealed in each foot... Knee caps made of... wow... Hand armour is reinforced... Head armour is reinforced... wireframe vision?... advanced computer AI assist system... experimental prototype? Mini Vortex system?" Shinji said out loud.

"I wonder why it's called Unit 17 though... and why are some parts of this report blacked out, like the background info and the last part with other details?" Shinji wondered.

He decided to leave it for now and get some sleep. In the morning, Shinji needed to pack his stuff to take with him for his training at NERV, as well as greet his friends at the airport who returned from Okinawa tomorrow.

He was going to have fun explaining his training he had coming up. Shinji would also bet that it wouldn't be long before Kensuke hacked into NERV and found out about what happened to Unit 01 as well as about Unit 03 and Unit 17.

* * *

><p><strong>Author Notes: <strong>_And there we go, my first chapter of Mysterious Eva. Hope you guys liked it, I just dived straight in at the Angel battle at Episode 10 and went on from there. I think that the next chapter will take place after the training. It's gonna be a little boring reading a training montage from me, so I'll write a report on the outcome of the training!  
><em>

_The point in the training is to get Shinji to improve his melee combat capabilities._

_The production model Evas are different from the Prototype and the Test type (Units 00 and 01 respectively) in that they are designed more for combat specifically. Therefore I made Unit 17 more of a melee unit, hence the large amount of progressive blades present on the body and the reinforced hand armour for punching. Shinji isn't that good at melee combat, so I needed to work in some melee training somewhere..._

_Anyway, by next chapter a week will have passed, you get to see the results of the extreme training, mostly aimed at Shinji, and you also get to see the activation of Units 03 and 17 that have finally arrived during the Pilot's training._

_Hope you guys are looking forward to it!  
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_Remember to leave Reviews! Until next time!_

_- Western-Otaku_


	3. The Results of Training

**Author Notes:** _Welcome to chapter 2 of Mysterious Eva guys! Sorry it's been a while since I last updated, if you are curious as to why, go check out the A/N of my other story 'Changed Identities' Chapter 2._

_Last chapter I may have confused a few people. I'm going to clarify. Basically I said that I'd give points to anyone who figured out where I got the idea of using Kamina's sunglasses in the design of a Robot. Someone thought in the reviews that I was referring to Gurren Lagann itself, I wasn't! Of course Gurren Lagann isn't an Evangelion copy, it's too awesome to be anything like that!_

_If people are unsure on what I was actually referring to, it was _**Pacific Rim**_. Didn't anyone notice that the title Jaeger's head design, Gipsy Danger, incorporated a Visor that looked to me a lot like Kamina's sunglasses, only yellow? When I asked if anyone could guess where I got the design to put the glasses on a high-tech and expensive robot that fights monsters and I mentioned that the _**movie **_I got it from was an Evangelion copy, I meant that _**Pacific Rim **_ was an Evangelion copy. I actually liked the movie, but I can't help but admit that the movie copied Evangelion quite a bit. Robots that are built as Mankind's last hope and defence against almost invincible monsters? Ring a bell? But I found the premise of Pacific Rim to be a little stupid. The Evas in Evangelion were built as they were created from the same DNA as the Angels, so they were the only things they could make to counter an Angel's AT Field, if there was no AT Field, they could just N2 bomb all the Angels easy. Pacific Rim has no AT Fields in it, hell a Kaiju was killed by Striker Eureka by flipping Missiles! Instead of Giant Robots, they could have made a nuke or bomb to kill the Kaiju once they detected them coming out of the breach and were still in the Pacific Ocean, so no-one even gets hurt, and the wall they build can defend the coast from any Tsunamis caused by the bomb or nuke. Jeez... I'm 17 and I'm not an original thinker, but even I could think of a more realistic approach to the movie. Sure the first one rampaged through everyone's defences as well as the second and third, but they hadn't even tried making stronger weaponry apart from jumping straight to robots..._

_Anyway, I thought it looked extremely cool, so I just used the same design. I apologise if I confused anyone on that, maybe I could have worded the sentence better._

_Now, onto this chapter! This chapter starts a week after the last one, as me writing all the days of Shinji's training in martial arts and melee combat won't be as fun to read as it sounds – trust me. So I'll do the highlights!_

_Enjoy._

**Disclaimer: **_I do not own Evangelion, nor anything relating to it. But I so wish I did!_

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><p>"So what is your final report instructor?" Commander Ikari asked, sitting in his infamous office, interrogating the hired Training Instructor, with his hands tented across his face of course.<p>

"My report? Ah, yes. I suppose I'll start with my assessment of the capabilities I have found in the 3... pilots, you have assigned me." He said, after quickly thumbing through the file he had in his hands, in which he had recorded any useful information he had obtained throughout the past week.

The Instructor was an employee of a private company that specialises in offering tuition sessions of any skill that could possibly be mastered and taught. The firm had a wide variety of professionals in many important fields, varying from Arts and Crafts to Physical Training, on offer to be privately hired to expertly teach their trade - and at a professional level. This particular instructor was once an extremely tough drill sergeant in the Russian Military. He was still infamous within the ranks back in his homeland for coming up with some of the most rigorous and extreme training exercises during the Cold War – some of which are now used today as a form of extreme training and also punishment. He once betted that he could train an entire platoon of green recruits, fresh at boot-camp, in a week to become worthy of being drafted into Spetsnaz special forces... and won the bet.

The Instructor retired not long before the Second Impact. The Second Impact incident meant that Humanity needed to rebuild and recover and so he was approached with the proposition of being drafted into a new private company being established, with similar individuals like him who were once at the top of their field, to hire their tuition services out. Finding that retirement was not what it was cracked up to be and needing to do something active again, he quickly joined up. This year would have been the 14th year he had been with the company, and throughout his time he has been hired by the Spetsnaz, the JSSDF, the US Marines, the US Navy Seals, the British SAS and now NERV.

When he was hired by NERV, he was surprised as to what they needed his services for. NERV was renowned throughout the world as an advanced scientific institute that was formed shortly following the Second Impact in order to study it's effects and it's cause, however it was suspicious as to why there were so many branches present throughout the world in every country and also how they managed to get their hands on their near infinite budget without official governmental backing, as no-one actually knew what it was that NERV did apart from the employees themselves – all of whom were sworn to secrecy. It was all very suspicious.

And now, he had been hired by the corporation to provide extreme physical training to 3 children. This was beyond crazy to the Instructor, but if his years in the Russian Military had taught him anything it was to carry out orders first and ask questions later. And so he was stuck training 3 children how to fight and even kill people with their bare hands, and they were surprisingly good students. They only ever needed to be shown something once, and they'd be able to pick the technique up and implement it into their fighting style seamlessly.

The red-haired one was already adept with melee combat before the week tuition session started, but the Instructor quickly found many flaws in her technique. She was extremely offensive orientated in combat, which left her defence wide open for an impromptu strike. It was easy to figure one's personality from the way they defended themselves, and the Instructor quickly deduced the red-haired girl as a glory seeker. By the end of the week though, the Instructor had bent and shaped her fighting style to be more adaptable and defensive. She was still orientated towards offence, but the techniques he had managed to teach her in their short time would also solidify her defence by using her offence **as** her defence – something she would undoubtedly be very grateful for later, when facing other offensive targets. It also seemed that his tough training sessions had worn the girl down around the edges, so by the end she wasn't as bossy or brat-like as she was to begin with. She also came to learn to respect her peers a little more, after seeing more of their true capabilities.

The blue-haired girl was a different affair. She was more or less a blank slate, or rather an empty bucket, and so she was able to pick up anything he taught her very quickly and with ease. It seemed her personality was that she was non-independent and relied on orders from others, as well as mimicking and copying them. This was most likely because she had never had the chance to develop herself to do things independently, without outside intervention telling her what to do for her instead. Therefore, her fighting style was quite transparent to the Instructor, and he found it easy to dupe her by doing things which actually caused her to improvise. During such times, the girl froze up and ceased all actions, allowing the Instructor to go in for the kill and quickly end the battle easily. By the end of the week, he had managed to teach her simple techniques that allowed room for improvisation. He also had to teach her about the concept of improvisation itself, which she also picked up quickly, of course. Once she had mastered improvisation, she had become a very worthy opponent to face in hand to hand combat. It seems teaching the blue-haired girl about improvisation has also allowed her to better understand her peers. She seemed greatly intrigued as to why many other people that she knew never followed a set protocol of behaviour, until the concept of improvisation was taught to her. It also seemed that by the end of the week, her improvisation skills had allowed her to react better to social scenarios when interacting with others.

The third child, the only boy among the 3, was a harder task. The Instructor was used to students who were over-confident, or blank slates, but not unwilling. The boy did not seem like he wanted to be there training, at all, and yet the Instructor was given specific instructions to focus on the boy the most out of the 3 students. The boy seemed to prefer fleeing than defending himself, and it also seemed that he had no backbone; or even the self-confidence to support the growth of a backbone. During sparing, both of the girls were able to mop the floor with the boy, who either tried to flee or half-heartedly defend himself against their attacks, never adopting an offensive stance. It may have also been because he had an emotional attachment to the girls which mentally prevented him from hurting them. Therefore the Instructor asked him to train with training dummies for most of the exercises. He rigorously trained him in offensive techniques, which he applied without thought to the test dummies, however he still needed to overcome his emotions to be able to use them against actual targets. The Instructor was starting to think that this boy would not be able to reach the criteria to pass the training by the end of the week, before he came and talked to him. He was very nervous, but he asked to be taught techniques that would be able to restrain a target and defeat them in the quickest and least harmful way possible. The Instructor agreed, but also taught him valuable words that he learned in the Military that made him fight when he had to.

"_If you do not wish to fight for yourself, then you should fight for your beliefs and the people you care about. You should at least strive to fight to protect them, or you are not worthy of them."_

As harsh as the words sounded, they struck a chord with the Instructor when he heard them, and he had stuck by those words throughout his years. It also seemed that they had the same effect on the boy, as he was shocked by them. He did not say anything else as he left to rest, but the next day showed that these words also changed something within the boy. He was more determined with his tasks, which consequently meant that he took better to the training, and his performance drastically improved. The boy mastered every non-lethal technique the Instructor was able to teach, including a few personal techniques the Instructor had up his sleeve. He also mastered the lethal ones, but he was resolute that he would only use them as a last resort – as they should be – was what the Instructor thought. With his expert knowledge of non-lethal techniques, he took to sparing with the girls again, and thoroughly surprised them when he was now the one to mop the floor with them, without causing extreme damage. He even clocked the fastest time, out of any of the sparing matches that week, in being able to defeat a target; he even managed to restrain his opponent, instead of incapacitating them. By the end of the week the boy, Shinji, could be considered the best melee fighter out of the 3 – with speed, agility and a tactical orientated mindset on his side when fighting.

"And that concludes my report, sir." The Instructor said as he finished giving his personal analysis of the 3's performance.

"Thank you, Instructor. Now, what is your final judgement of their training?" the Commander asked.

"After analysing the facts, I would say that they have all passed their training. It would not hurt for them to continue having lessons on weekends in the future as a physical exercise session and to practice their skills, but I believe that we do not need to continue this week's crash course session." the Instructor spoke.

"Very well, we shall hire you every Saturday Morning to come and provide a 2 hour session of training each week for the 3 pilots. Thank you for your time, you are dismissed. We will notify you of any other details later. My secretary will show you out." he said absent-mindedly. His mind had already moved on to other matters.

The Instructor bowed, before leaving as the secretary showed him out. At that moment, Fuyutsuki appeared out of the corner of the office.

"It seems the training went well. This turned out to be a good idea after all." He said.

"We hired one of the best private Instructors to teach them. We had nothing to worry about. This will only increase Pilot Ikari's effectiveness as a Pilot, and make better use of Unit 17. Overall, it was an obvious decision to make." the Commander said in a bored tone.

"While on the subject of the new Units. Both have now arrived in Japan and are being transported to the Matsushiro Testing Facility as we speak."

The Commander's interest was piqued, though it only lasted for a second, "Good, see to it that the Third Child and the Fourth Child are notified and taken to the facility tomorrow morning. The activation tests will begin in the afternoon once preparations are completed."

Fuyutsuki bowed as he disappeared back into the shadows in the corner of the office.

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><p><strong>Author Notes: <strong>_Well, I think I'll leave it there! I'm taking baby steps for updating more quickly again, the next chapter will delve straight back in with Shinji and Toji and their activation test._

_Next chapter's going to be fun..._

_Remember to leave Reviews! Until next time!_

_- Western-Otaku_


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